Commercial & property management
Access control basics: strikes, maglocks, readers and fail-safe
Access control gets sold as software. Most of it is actually carpentry, metalwork and electricity at the door. Here is the vocabulary you need to have a sensible conversation with whoever quotes it.
By Timmy Creighton, founder and licensed locksmith · Major Key Locksmith · October 2026
The parts
- The credential. A card, fob, phone or code.
- The reader or keypad. Checks the credential.
- The controller. Decides whether that person is allowed in at that time and records it.
- The locking hardware. What actually holds the door. This is where most problems live.
Electric strike or maglock
An electric strike replaces the strike in the frame. The door’s own latch stays as it is, and the strike releases it when the reader says yes. It keeps normal hardware on the door, so people inside still leave the way they always have.
A maglock is a powerful electromagnet at the top of the door. It holds well and fits doors where a strike is difficult, but it needs power to stay locked, and it needs a reliable way to release for people leaving, which brings in extra devices and life-safety requirements.
Fail-safe or fail-secure
Fail-safe hardware unlocks when power is lost. Fail-secure hardware stays locked when power is lost. Neither is better in general. The right choice depends on the door, what is behind it, and the fire and building code requirements for that opening. Whatever is chosen, people inside must always be able to get out.
Why the door matters most
A reader can be installed in an hour. What decides whether a system works for ten years is the opening: whether the strike is cut in properly, whether the door closes square every time, and whether the closer brings it all the way shut so it latches. A system on a door that does not close properly is a system that fails every day. That door work is locksmith work, and it is why integrators often bring us in to do it.
Pricing
Access control is the one service we do not publish a price for, because two buildings with the same number of doors can differ by a factor of three. We look at the doors and give you a real quote. More on our access control page.
Questions people ask
Is access control part of a locksmith’s license in New Jersey?
New Jersey defines locksmithing to include electronic security systems, and defines those to include access control. A licensed locksmith business can do this work.
Can you take over a system someone else installed?
Often, yes, depending on the equipment and whether the software and passwords can be handed over. We assess it first.
Do I need a network at every door?
Not always. Standalone keypads and some wireless locks work without wiring to each door. Larger systems usually need power and data at each opening.
Want a straight answer about your building?
Tell us what you are dealing with. We will say what it needs, what it costs, and whether it is a job for us at all.
Keep reading
Any price mentioned here is the one published on our pricing page as of October 2026. The final price is always confirmed with you before any work begins. More answers from the blog →